Franklyn

Meet the creative studio that’s not afraid to have fun in the pursuit of awesome work.

Where does a group of curious, passionate design nerds hang out to create beautiful designs for brands like Oscar, Away, Marlow, Audible, Brooklyn Brewery, and even WeWork? If you guessed Brooklyn, you’re as sharp as Franklyn’s creative.  

Founded in 2011, Franklyn is a mid-sized agency based in Brooklyn, New York, and, according to its executive director and co-founder, Patrick Richardson, “It’s the best design studio you’ve never heard of.” 

But we think everyone should hear about the studio that takes a fresh approach to taking brands outside their comfort zones.

Being frank about how they do business 

How did Franklyn come to be? Richardson and co-founder Michael Freimuth had worked in design for a decade previously, and while they always loved the work, they didn’t love the smoke and mirrors (or the politics) that often accompanied agency life.

To them, creative agencies often fell into one of two extremes: “brilliant design divas” or “user-friendly production partners.” Franklyn, however, sees themselves as the best of both worlds. They do incredible design but meet their clients where they are by getting to know them from the inside out. 

“We wanted to try a different approach—a little more straightforward and a little less Mad Men. That’s where our name, Franklyn, comes from. We aim to be honest (frank) in how we do business, work with our clients, and approach the work.

We take our work seriously but not ourselves,” explains Richardson.

Creating a design process as delightful as the results

Playfulness has always been part of Franklyn’s culture and process. “Doing what we do, it’s important to keep an open mind and a playful approach helps us not get stuck in old thinking,” says Freimuth. “We’re not afraid to get weird and push ourselves.” 

Part of this thinking stems from Franklyn’s ethos of making the process as delightful as the results. (They’ve seen too many clients arrive traumatized by past experiences where ideas were forced on them, leaving them with a brand that felt out of character.)

“We’re all about building brands with a soul, and that only happens when the process is just as enjoyable as the final product, so we get to know our clients really well,” says Freimuth. 

The other half of Franklyn’s approach? Pragmatism. “Every brand has to be beautiful, but it also has to make practical sense to be sustainable,” explains Eric Brown, account director at Franklyn. A great example? Franklyn’s work for Capsule, a new kind of pharmacy  that has revolutionized prescription access.  

To help the modern pharmacy make its mark, Franklyn developed a bold visual identity that playfully showcased Capsule’s caring and user-centric approach. From murals to billboards and subway station takeovers to taxi toppers, the branding was everywhere (and still is).

Where does Franklyn do all of its playful creation? Pre-pandemic, Franklyn had an independent office. However, when the lease expired in 2020, they transitioned to fully remote—after nearly a decade in an office.

Reuniting their team, upleveling their workspace at WeWork

For a moment there, Richardson didn’t want another office. “The work that went with having our own space was a part-time job,” he recalls. “From leaky ceilings to creepy neighbors to a landlord that disappeared to prison, it was a lot to manage and sucked a lot of time that should’ve gone into the business.”

But when one staff member wanted to get out of the house, and suddenly ten more team members also wanted an office space, WeWork became the option with flexibility—and without a long-term commitment. WeWork wooed Franklyn, and the creative studio became a member during the summer of 2021, officially becoming a hybrid workplace. 

“After joining WeWork, the work and stress associated with having an office was virtually gone,” shares Richardson. The reunion was also keenly felt across the team. “The best part of having a dedicated office is seeing people I work with regularly,” says Brown. “It was something we lost for a while, and it means a lot to be in a space together again.” 

Reuniting also came with unexpected perks. When Franklyn first moved into the space, they had a door that would automatically lock. Afraid about locking herself out when working alone, Elisa Maezono, associate creative director at Franklyn, approached the community desk to ask if there was a way to unlock this door or get a doorstop. The community team said they were on it. 

A few days later, a community team member arrived at the office with a custom Franklyn green door stopper laser cut with the word Franklyn. “It was so much nicer than anything that I would have expected or even needed,” says Maezono. “But it’s exactly the kind of consideration that encapsulates our experience at WeWork.” 

Landing a flexible space that sparks creativity  

“As a design agency, everybody has their style. WeWork allows our team members to choose when, where, and how they work,” says Maezono. To Richardson, this flexibility is also key for the team’s well-being, helping them strike a healthy work-life balance. 

“We love having a flexible space that can adapt to what we need when we need it,” shares Richardson. “We’ve got folks who want to sit at a desk. We’ve got folks who want to pop into communal spaces while on the go. And we’ve got people like myself who can’t sit still. So I like to sit on the sofa. Maybe I like to lie on the ground. WeWork has something for everyone.”

For Franklyn’s employees, having the space to play fuels their creativity, allowing them to thrive on collaboration and exchanging ideas. “Face-to-face interaction is crucial in our work because our designers feed off each other’s creativity,” shares Brown. 

There’s just something about the efficiency and spontaneity of being able to grab someone next to you and working through a problem in five minutes,” adds Maezono. “It can’t be replicated over Slack or Zoom.”And while Maezono feels lucky going to a job that allows her to be creative all day, she also recognizes the need to feed your creative tank. “It’s important to have experiences outside of work, like WeWork’s networking events, to keep your reservoir of creative material flowing,” she adds.

What’s next for Franklyn?

With flexible office space, Franklyn plans to continue flexing their designs.

“Every client will have different needs, and we adapt to each specific client or project. We change things up as we need to because we know nothing will ever work the same way we’ve done it before, and it allows us to do our best work, each time” says Maezono. “Plus, it’s what keeps it interesting for us too.”

Here’s to Franklyn—keeping things interesting. 

What results could flexibility offer you? Find out at WeWork. Learn more about our flexible workspace solutions that give you the space to create—while taking care of the space for you.